by Brenda Novak
“I’d love to dance,” she said, and took Alex’s hand.
“Boot Scootin’ Boogie” came on as Alex led her through the crowd. An old Dundee favorite, this song had people lining up to do a dance one of the waitresses had choreographed.
“You don’t think Keith minds that we’re dancing, do you?” Alex said as they started moving to the music.
Reenie opened her mouth to say he probably did, then realized Alex already knew that. Keith was standing at the edge of the dance floor, glaring at them both while shifting impatiently from foot to foot.
“He has no right to object,” she said indifferently.
They stomped and turned along with everyone else. “I’m not worried,” Alex said. “Give me a few more beers and I’ll be ready for a good barroom brawl.”
Just what she needed, Reenie thought sarcastically, the father of her kids getting busted up at The Honky Tonk.
Unless—she missed the next step and hurried to catch up—there was a chance he’d have time enough to recover before the girls returned on Sunday night.
“That grin looks mighty devilish,” Alex said.
Reenie laughed. “For a moment there, I was tempted.”
“I could be careful. Just fatten his lip a little. After what he did to you, he deserves it.”
Reenie agreed. But revenge wouldn’t solve anything. “No fighting.”
“Since he essentially did the same thing to Liz, I bet Isaac would like a piece of that action.”
“Isaac doesn’t strike me as particularly violent. Anyway, he’s not here, so it’s a moot point.”
“What are you talking about?” Alex said. They pivoted, rocked forward, then back and stomped again. “Isaac and Earl are playing pool in back.”
Reenie stopped dancing and started searching the crowd in the other room. “Where?”
Alex pointed. “Right there.”
She leaned to one side and then the other, trying to see through the crush of bodies. Sure enough, she eventually caught a glimpse of him. He stood at the side of a pool table, completely immersed in conversation.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“LET’S GO,” Reenie said the moment she returned to the table.
Beth glanced up at her in surprise. “But we just got here thirty minutes ago. And I was hoping to—”
“Hey, Beth. How ’bout you?” Alex said. “You ready to dance?”
Reenie hadn’t realized Alex was still on her heel.
Beth gave her a quick pleading look, then turned a radiant smile on the handsome cowboy. “Sure,” she said, and hopped right up.
As they disappeared into the crowd, Reenie cursed silently, immediately regretting the fact that she’d let Beth drive tonight. They should’ve come separately, she decided. Then neither would have had to wait for the other.
But how was she to know? They’d gone dancing several times already and never run into Keith or Isaac before. It was simply bad luck that both men were here tonight.
So what now? she wondered, taking a good long drink. She couldn’t sit at the table. Keith was already making his way over. She couldn’t go into the back without bumping into Isaac. And it was too cold to wait outside. The Honky Tonk was usually so crowded and so hot, she’d seen little point in bothering to bring a coat for the five-minute car ride.
She decided the restroom was her best recourse, but Keith cut her off before she could reach the hall.
“What were you doin’ dancing with Alex?” he asked, his eyes glittery, his jaw hard.
Reenie told herself to ignore him and keep walking. But he wouldn’t let her. As soon as she tried, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.
“I’ve been patient, Reenie,” he said. “It’s been months. When are you going to stop punishing me for what happened and take me back?”
Reenie’s jaw dropped. “What happened?” she echoed. “How can you say it like that? As if ‘what happened’ was out of your control?”
“It was out of my control. I wasn’t capable—never mind. I’ve already apologized. Thousands of times,” he said. “It hasn’t done any good. You wanted me to stay in Dundee, I’m here. You wanted the farm, you have it. The only thing keeping our family apart is you. When are you going to let bygones be bygones?”
“When did you become so clingy,” she said, throwing his own words back at him.
His voice dropped to a grating rumble. “I never took you for a coldhearted bitch, Reenie.”
“If I’m a bitch, you made me this way,” she retorted. “But I don’t want an argument. You and I are over, and I’m moving on. That means I can dance with any man I want.”
He paled. “Don’t say that. We’re in love.”
“Not anymore, Keith.”
“You promised me for better or worse!” he snapped.
“What about your own promises?”
“I haven’t slept with anyone since I came clean!”
“You didn’t come clean. You were caught.”
“Since I was caught, then.”
“Maybe I’ll ask Liz if that’s true,” she challenged.
He didn’t respond right away, and his momentary hesitation was enough to tell her she didn’t need to ask Liz.
“I don’t care,” she said. “Let me go.”
“No, you have to listen to me.”
“There’s nothing more to say.”
He rubbed a hand over his face. “Reenie—”
“Because You Loved Me” by Celine Dion began to play. It was an old song, but the lyrics were particularly poignant, considering what they’d once been to each together.
“Dance with me,” he said suddenly.
“I don’t want to dance with you,” she said.
“Damn it, we have three children together. You owe me that much.”
“I don’t owe you anything!”
“Especially because she’s already promised this dance to me.”
Reenie felt a man’s firm grip on her elbow and turned gratefully toward him, until she saw that it was Isaac Russell.
“Like hell,” Keith said.
Isaac’s gaze flicked over Keith’s face, as if he welcomed the possibility of a fight. “What’d you say?”
“Stay out of this, Isaac,” Keith said.
Isaac released Reenie’s elbow. “I’ll go if Reenie tells me to.”
“Reenie?” Keith said.
Reenie couldn’t let her ex-husband win this battle. He’d caused so much pain to her, Liz, Isaac, everyone who was part of either family. She wanted him to know she’d rather stand with Isaac and Liz, than with him. Then maybe he’d get it through his head that they were finished as a couple.
“Like Isaac said, I’ve already promised this dance to him,” she muttered, and let Liz’s brother lead her onto the floor.
* * *
FEELING AWKWARD and uncomfortable, Reenie looped her arms loosely around Isaac’s neck. They were scarcely touching and yet she felt as though they were dancing too close. How could that be? She danced with men all the time. No one else made her so…aware of her body in relation to his. Where her hands were. Where his hands were. Where her legs were. Where his legs were.
She bit her bottom lip to help her tolerate the contact. Why did Isaac have to rescue her at the onset of a slow song? Celine Dion seemed to be going on forever.
“Did you like the puppy?” he asked.
Clearing her throat, she let go of her lip. “He was cute,” she said, but she kept her eyes on the other dancers, the old scuffed boots lining the high shelf going around the room, the lassos and beer-slogan mirrors hanging on the gray wood walls.
Isaac shifted slightly, turning her. But again she found things to look at besides his face: Bear, the bartender, serving up drinks; Jon Small talking low but anxiously to Keith; the constant influx of people coming or going at the door.
“Are you going to adopt him?” he asked.
His voice was just deep enough to resonate below the music. “No,” she said simply.<
br />
He leaned back so she had to look up at him. “Why not? I think it’d be a good distraction for the girls. Bailey can’t last much longer.”
“I know, but…” She didn’t want to tell him she couldn’t afford the fees. “Maybe later.”
“Would you rather get a different kind of puppy?”
“No.”
He frowned slightly as they went back to dancing, and Reenie glanced over his shoulder to see Beth cozying up with Alex. Beth and Alex had only danced twice so far, but they were definitely making the most of the chance to get intimate. From what Reenie could tell, neither of them wanted to go home alone tonight.
She wondered if that meant she’d be able to borrow Beth’s car. Of all nights for her friend to finally catch Alex’s interest.
“What’s wrong?” Isaac asked.
“Nothing.”
“What didn’t you like about the puppy?”
“Would you give up on the puppy?” she said. “I loved him! I just…I can’t afford him right now, okay?”
“He’s at a shelter.”
“The fees still amount to a hundred sixty dollars. But…I’ll get a new dog, someday.”
He tried to move her closer, but she resisted and, finally, he sighed. “You know, you’re going to put my back out if you don’t relax.”
“You were expecting a warmer reception?” she asked.
“Maybe not warm, exactly. But I thought dancing with you would be a little more fun than holding a cardboard cutout.”
“I’m not that stiff!”
He cocked a doubtful eyebrow at her.
“If you were someone else, I wouldn’t be like this,” she said.
“Prove it.”
“How?”
“Pretend I am someone else.”
Reenie saw Keith waiting at the edge of the dance floor with Jon, his new shadow. She knew her ex-husband would harangue her again as soon as Isaac let her go.
At the moment, she didn’t have any better option than to make the most of the situation. Telling herself to relax, she let the music carry her away and, a moment later, she had her head tucked under Isaac’s chin, her lips not far from the pulse at his neck. She could feel his hard chest against her own, his hips moving in an erotic rhythm with hers.
She thought he might tease her about getting a little more than he’d bargained for, but he didn’t. He didn’t talk at all. His hands were at the small of her back, strong and sure as he guided her along, and she could smell cologne on his nice cotton sweater.
Closing her eyes, she let herself nuzzle closer. God, he felt good. And she was so weary, weary of the hurt and disappointment, weary of the responsibility, weary of trying to look into the future far enough to decide what would be best for her little family. For right now, she only wanted to feel the music and forget.
When the song ended and Isaac stepped away, the loss of his body heat felt as though someone had stripped her of a warm blanket.
Reenie told herself to thank him for his help with Keith and walk off, to forget the way he’d held her. She missed having a man in her life way too much.
But her ex-husband hadn’t given up his vigil at the edge of the dance floor. And Alex had his arm draped around Beth, his head bent to hers. Already they were in their own little world. But it was still early, and Beth probably wouldn’t be presumptuous enough to let Reenie borrow her car.
Instinctively, Reenie grabbed Isaac’s arm before he could walk away. “Will you take me home?”
The question had come out of nowhere and obviously took him off guard. “Are you ready to go now?”
She nodded.
Evidently Celine Dion had a big fan in the crowd because the theme song from Titanic came on next—another slow one.
“On second thought, after this dance,” she said, and slipped into his arms before he could even respond. She didn’t care if she was being too bold. He’d told her to pretend he was someone else—and it was working. For some reason, she felt as though she could dance with him all night.
* * *
AS HE DROVE HER HOME, the memory of Reenie clinging to him on the dance floor swirled through Isaac’s blood like an aphrodisiac, making his nerves hum with sexual awareness. He hadn’t held a woman so closely since he’d left the Congo. There, he’d enjoyed the company of a female field assistant, had even spent a few nights in her bed. But their interaction had been casual. In fact just dancing with Reenie felt like a more intimate experience.
“You have a sitter for the girls?” he asked conversationally. He hoped small talk might help him keep his thoughts moving in the right direction because, even if Reenie would allow it, he couldn’t get involved with her. It’d be too hard on Liz. Plus he knew Reenie wasn’t the type to welcome a brief affair, and he’d be leaving as soon as his grant came through.
“No,” she said. “They’re in Texas with their grandparents.” She stretched her chest restraint as though she might turn to face him but continued to stare out the window instead.
“Why Texas?”
“They’re visiting Keith’s brother.”
“At Baylor?”
She nodded and finally looked over at him—and he couldn’t help admiring the sweep of her long lashes. He loved her eyes, thought they had to be the most beautiful pair he’d ever seen.
An unbidden picture suddenly flashed through his mind—Reenie looking up at him, those eyes filled with desire as he stripped off her shirt—
He cleared his throat. “Have you ever been to Texas?”
“No.”
They came to the stoplight where he needed to turn in order to go to her house, but he didn’t give his truck any gas even after the light turned green. He squinted into his side mirror. Unless he was mistaken, the headlights behind him belonged to a Jeep.
“You can go now,” she said.
“I think Keith’s following us,” he responded as he finally made the turn.
Keith knew Reenie wouldn’t be happy to hear this news, but he was slightly relieved. He sensed that, tonight, Reenie’s defenses weren’t what they usually were. Maybe she’d had a little too much to drink. He wasn’t sure, but with Keith around, Isaac wouldn’t be tempted to take advantage of her in any way.
She grimaced. “You’re kidding.”
“No.”
“Of course you’re not kidding,” she muttered to herself, and turned in her seat to see for herself.
“Am I right?” Isaac asked.
“’Fraid so.”
“Is Jon with him?”
“No, he’s alone. He must’ve left Jon at The Honky Tonk.”
Isaac didn’t need to keep checking his mirrors. Keith wasn’t making his presence too much of a secret. At times he was nearly riding Isaac’s bumper.
When Isaac finally swung into Reenie’s driveway, Keith parked on the road.
Reenie didn’t get out.
“What do you think?” Isaac asked her. “You want me to tell him to leave?”
She stared at her house, which sat dark and empty, then twisted to see her ex-husband again. Keith hadn’t turned off his engine. He sat there, letting it idle while he glowered at them.
“No, I want you to come in,” she said.
Isaac blinked in surprise. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
“Why not? You gave my kid a sucker. You want to be my friend, don’t you?” She tempted him with a smile.
Her friend? That was like saying the Big Bad Wolf wanted to jump rope with Little Red Riding Hood. Right now, Isaac’s feelings ran much hotter. He wanted to take her to bed. But that was more information than she needed.
Besides, if she wasn’t experiencing the same attraction, he was probably okay.
“I’ll give you a glass of wine, and you can tell me all about Africa,” she said.
He imagined the quiet, empty house. “I don’t think so, Reenie. Not with Liz and everything that’s gone before.” And the fact that you appeal to me more than any woman I’ve met
in a long time.
Her smile turned challenging. “I thought we were each pretending to be someone else tonight.”
That approach had wound up being a little too effective, especially on the dance floor. But Isaac hated to leave Reenie to the mercy of Keith, who had no right to be bothering her, anyway. With the girls gone, there wasn’t anything to keep him in check.
“Okay,” he said, “for a few minutes,” and gave Keith a quick glance as he followed her to the door.
* * *
KEITH SAT OUTSIDE in the Jeep long enough for Isaac to build a fire and for Reenie to get them each a glass of wine. But a couple of quick checks at the window told her he’d turned off the engine. She suspected he wasn’t planning on going anywhere until Isaac left. She knew that was the case when she heard a loud knock at the door and saw her ex-husband through the peephole.
Taking a deep breath, she pulled the door open and stood in the opening.
Her ex tried to see over her head. He was looking for Isaac, of course, but she held the door close to her body so that, at most, he could make out the glow of the fire coming from the living room. “What do you want, Keith?” she asked.
“I want to know how long he’s going to stay here alone with you.”
Bailey managed to join her at the door, but she gently moved him aside with one foot. “As long we’re enjoying ourselves,” she replied.
Keith’s expression darkened. “What kind of game are you playing with me, Reenie?”
“No games,” she said. “I have a friend over, that’s all.”
“Isaac’s your friend now, is he? What about Liz? She your friend, too?”
Reenie gritted her teeth. “I’m beginning to believe she’d be a truer friend to me than you’ve been,” she said. “Anyway, you’re the reason they came to town.”
His mouth dropped open. “That’s not fair! I asked them to go back to L.A. I knew you didn’t want them here. I begged Liz. She wouldn’t go because of the kids.”
Closing her eyes, Reenie shook her head. “So she’s more concerned about Mica and Christopher’s welfare than you are. Somehow that doesn’t make me admire you any more.”
“But I knew you’d never come back to me if…How was I supposed to know…to expect…I mean, I love all my kids, but—”
